Patent Application
20050026762
The present invention relates generally to automatic packaging machines. More particularly, the present invention relates systems and method for assembling self-latching boxes and/or packages with a flip top.
Various types of automatic packaging machines are known and used for assembling paperboard and/or cardboard packages from precut box blanks. These packages can be used to hold a wide variety of items, ranging from chewing gum to candy to office supplies: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,578,929; 4,548,593; 4,716,714; 4,829,751; 4,856,566; 4,982,556; 5,010,929; 5,072,573; 5,144,790; and 6,195,959 are examples of packaging machines which may be used to load small items into different types of packages.
Conventional automatic packing machines include a conveyor, usually an endless link chain conveyor, which travels through or past a number of work stations extending between a magazine containing package blanks and a product discharge end. Usually, the package blanks are a stack of die cut paperboard or cardboard blanks which are picked up one-at-a-time by vacuum cups and then put into package-forming mandrels carried by the conveyor. Panels and flaps on the bottom of the blank are folded by a series of plows and sealed in order to close the package. A pre-determined amount of product is then placed in the package. Next, panels and flaps forming a top of the package are folded and sealed. Then the package is discharged onto any suitable conveyor, into a shipping carton, or to another device for receiving the completed product containing packaging.
Conventionally, a plow is a strip of metal, or the like, extending along a length of the conveyor and in a location where the panels and flaps are to be folded. First, panels and flaps forming the bottom of the package encounter the plows and then are folded as the conveyor carries the package past the plow. Then, a pre-determined amount of product is placed in the package. Next, panels and flaps forming a top of the package are folded and sealed in a similar manner. Depending upon product packaging needs, the package may or may not be wrapped in a transparent film which is sealed. Finally, the package is discharged onto any suitable conveyor, into a shipping box or another suitable device for receiving the product containing package.
Often, the product presents special considerations which require the packaging machine to perform unique functions as the package is formed and filled. These functions may be performed by special parts which are attached to or positioned near the conveyor. Many examples of such special parts are shown and described in the above-cited patents.
One type of conventional package which is often used for candy and mints is commonly referred to as a “flip-top” box or package. Such a package is made from a single, unitary, die cut blank of thin cardboard stock. A flip-top package has a bottom section which is in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped. The top of the package is in the form of a hood connected to the bottom along a crease line which acts as a hinge. The hood moves away from or over the top of the package in order to open or close it. It is necessary for the packaging machine to first form the blank into the package, then count a specific number of small items, such as candy coated chewing gum, next deposit them in the package, and finally close and seal the package. One such “flip-top” package is shown in prior art
Prior art
In the conventional “flip-top” package shown in
This new type of “partial flip-top” package requires several more distinct flaps than the previous packages, which adds a significant amount of complexity to any machine for assembling and filling the packages. In particular, problems arise because the mandrels used in the conventional assembly devices are not properly aligned to fold down the top panels of the package blank to form the flip-top of the package. Several additional steps are therefore required to complete the assembly process. This results in increased complexity and assembly time, diminishing the assembly machine's efficiency.
It is therefore one object of the invention to provide an improved system and method for assembling a “flip top” package.
It is another object of the invention to provide a system and method for assembling a “flip-top” package where the flip-top of the package is hingedly connected to the top of the package along a hinge line running through the middle of the package top.
It is another object of the invention to provide a system and method for assembling a “flip-top” package that includes a minimal amount of manual labor.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a system and method for assembling a “flip-top” package that can be assembled in a minimal amount of time.
In accordance with the invention and the above examples of objects, a system and method is provided for assembling a “partial flip-top” box or package in a highly efficient manner. In a preferred embodiment, a plurality of mandrels are coupled to an “endless link” chain conveyor. Each mandrel includes a mounting bracket for coupling the mandrel to a rail. The bracket is operatively connected to a package-holding subassembly. The package-holding assembly includes a gripping mechanism for holding the package blank during assembly. The package-holding assembly is rotatable about a first axis relative to the rest of the mandrel. A flap holder subassembly is also operatively connected to the bracket. The flap holder assembly is rotatable about a second axis substantially perpendicular to the first axis. The rotation of the package-holding assembly permits the package blank to be moved into various orientations such that the blank can be quickly and efficiently assembled into a “partial flip-top” package. In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the system and method results in up to 400 partial flip-top packages being assembled per minute.
The bottom of the package is formed by the combination of a first minor lower flap 112, a second minor lower flap 114, a first major lower flap 116 and a second major lower flap 118. As is discussed herein, in the most preferred embodiment these flaps are sequentially folded during the assembly process such that the second major lower flap is the outermost flap when the package 98 is completed, serving as the “bottom” of the package.
A latching panel 122 is coupled to the top of the second minor side 106. The latching panel 122 is folded downward during the assembly process. When the package 98 is fully assembled, the latching panel 122 will come into contact with the underside of the flip-top 101, providing a certain degree of resistance and helping to keep the flip-top 101 in the closed position relative to the rest of the package 98. The flexibility of the latching panel 122 enables it to be released from the flip-top 101 when the flip-top 101 is manually opened to the position shown in
A first front upper panel 124 is coupled to the first major side 100, and a second front upper panel 120 is coupled to second major side 102. Similarly, a first rear upper panel 134 is coupled to the first major side 100; and a second rear upper panel 136 is coupled to the second major side 102. As will be discussed herein, the first and second front upper panels 124 and 120 eventually cooperate to the top portion of the package 98 between the flip-top 101 and the rest of the package 98, the first and second rear upper panels 134 and 136 eventually cooperating to form the top of the package 98 behind the flip-top 101.
The flip-top 101 of the package 98 is formed by the folding of several sequential panels as is discussed herein. A rear flip-top panel 126a is coupled to the first minor side 104 on one edge and an intermediate flip-top panel 127 on an opposite edge. A front flip-top panel 132 is coupled to the intermediate flip-top panel 127 on an edge of the intermediate flip-top panel 127 opposite the rear flip-top panel 126a. First and second flip-top wing panels 126b and 126c, respectively, are also coupled to the intermediate flip-top panel 127 on opposite sides thereof. The first flip-top wing panel 126b has a first wing panel 128 coupled to one edge thereof. Similarly, the second flip-top wing panel 126c has a second wing panel 130 coupled to one edge thereof.
The back of the top portion of the package 98 is formed by the subsequent folding of a first rear upper panel 134 and a second rear upper panel 136. The first rear upper panel 134 is connected to the first major side 100, and the second rear upper panel 136 is coupled to the second major side 102.
The present invention provides an automatic packaging machine which forms, fills and closes the package shown and described in
The automatic packaging machine comprises a plurality of the mandrels 200 coupled to a conveyor system. An example of a conventional conveyor system is shown in prior art
Each mandrel 200 includes a support member 214 connected to a side of the mounting block 202. The package-holding assembly 204 is rotapanelly connected to the support member 214 at a first axis 216. A latching member 218 is attached to the support member 214 at an end substantially opposite the first axis 216. The latching member 218 is capable of capturing and fixing the position of a bushing 220 on the package-holding assembly 204. When the latching member 218 releases the bushing 220, the package-holding assembly 204 is capable of rotating about the first axis 216, which is substantially vertical according to one preferred embodiment of the invention.
Each of the mandrels 200 also includes a flap holder assembly 222 operatively connected to the support member 214. The flap holder assembly 222 is rotatable about a second axis 224 which is substantially perpendicular to the first axis 216. The flap holder assembly 222 is used primarily to push down the rear flip-top portion 126a and also push down the connected portions that comprise the flip-top 101 towards the rest of the package 98.
According to a preferred embodiment shown in
The first tucker assembly 400 comprises a first tucker 402 with multiple flanges 408. The first tucker 402 is coupled to a rotatable shaft 404 which is operatively connected to a transverse member 406, with the transverse member 406 ultimately connected to the rest of the machine of the present invention. The second tucker assembly 420 comprises a second tucker 422 including a pair of slots 424 and is operatively connected to the rest of the package machine in a manner substantially identical to that of the first tucker 402.
The first tucker 402 is positioned such that the leading edges of two of its flanges 408 sequentially come into contact with the second front upper panel 120 and the latching panel 122, pushing both panels downward and into the appropriate positions. Similarly, the pair of slots 424 on the second tucker 422 sequentially “catch” the first wing panel 128 and the second wing panel 130, folding them inward to their new positions.
The assembly of the package 98 in a most preferred embodiment is generally as follows and as represented in
After the package blank 99 is placed within the guide mechanism 208, the mandrel 200 moves along a conveyor. At step 506, the first minor lower flap 112 comes into contact with a first plow (not shown), folding the first minor lower flap 112 inward. The second minor lower flap 114 is then folded inward by a second plow (not shown), shown at step 508. The first major lower flap 116 then comes into contact with a third plow (not shown), folding the first major lower flap 116 inward at 510. A glue or some other type of adhesive is then applied to the exposed side of the first major lower flap 116, shown at step 512. Immediately thereafter, a fourth plow (not shown) folds the second major lower flap 118 onto the first major lower flap 116, shown at 514.
At this stage, the bottom of the package 98 is completely assembled. At step 516, a cam on the machine acts against the mandrel 200, causing the latching member 218 to disengage from the bushing 220 and causing the package-holding assembly 204 to rotate approximately ninety degrees about the first axis 216 from the position shown in
Once the package-holding assembly 204 has been rotated ninety degrees, the mandrel 200 reaches the first tucker assembly 400. At step 518, one of the flanges 408 of the first tucker 402 comes into contact and folds down the second front upper panel 120. This is followed at step 520 by another of the flanges 408 of the first tucker 402 coming into contact with the latching panel 122, folding it downward and outward from the center of the package 98. This moves the latching panel 122 into a loosely folded position where it is later caught by the panels on the flip-top 101, thereby creating a latching condition. Glue or another type of adhesive is then placed on the exposed surface of the second front upper panel 120, shown at 522. This is followed at step 524 by a fifth plow (not shown) coming into contact with and folding down the first front upper panel 124 onto the exposed surface of the second front upper panel 120.
At step 526, the flap holder assembly 222 is rotated approximately ninety degrees about the second axis 224. This action causes the front flip-top panel 132 to fold downward towards the rest of the package 98. Simultaneously, first and second side members 230 and 232 on the flap holder assembly 222 come into contact with the first and second flip-top wing panels 126b and 126c, respectively, causing them to fold inward (if necessary, a small spacer 233 can be used to achieve a precise alignment and positioning of the first and/or second flip-top wing panels 126b and 126c).
The mandrel 200 then reaches the second tucker assembly 420. The slots 424 on the second tucker 422 then sequentially grab and fold the first wing panel 128 and the second wing panel 130 inward, shown at steps 528 and 530. At step 532, glue or another type of adhesive is then applied to the exposed surfaces of the first and second wing panels 128 and 130. It is also possible to locate the glue or another type of adhesive on the underside of the front flip-top panel 132. A sixth plow 300 is then used at step 534 to fold the front flip-top panel 132 downward and secure it to the exposed sides of the first and second wing panels 128 and 130. This effectively forms the lid 101 of the package 98.
At step 535, the package-holding assembly 204 is rotated back about the first axis 216 from the second position to the first position. The next step of the process, represented at 536, involves the package-holding assembly 204 rotating back to its original position. This can be accomplished by the use of a cam or other conventional system known to those skilled in the art. At step 538, a seventh plow 302 contacts and folds downward a first rear upper panel 134. At step 540, glue or another type of adhesive is applied to the exposed side of the first rear upper panel 134. This is followed at step 542 by an eighth plow (not shown) contacting and folding downward the second rear upper panel 136 onto the exposed surface of the first rear upper panel 134. At step 544, the completed package 98 is discharged from the mandrel 200, where any suitable means is provided to carry the box 98 away for disposition.
As discussed above, a series of plows are provided for making a series of strategic folds in the package 98.
At one stage during the package assembly process, the product to be packaged is deposited into the partially-completed package 98. In one preferred embodiment of the invention, this occurs between steps 514 and 516, when the bottom of the package 98 has been completely assembled; but the top of the package 98 remains open. However, it is possible that the filling of the package could occur at some other time. The filling process is performed automatically by methods known by those skilled in the art.
Using the preferred system described herein, up to about 400 packages can be assembled per minute, while maintaining a fully automated system.
It should be understood that the above description of the invention and the specific examples and embodiments, while indicating the preferred embodiments of the present invention, are given by demonstration and not limitation. For example, it is possible to use different types of tuckers and plows in various orders to complete the assembly of the package 98. Many changes and modifications within the scope of the present invention may therefore be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and the invention includes all such inventions and modifications.
